Article Posted on : - Jan 24, 2012

Laser JDAM. Photo: US Air Force.

ST. LOUIS (BNS): Boeing has received a $126 million contract from the US Air Force for approximately 5,000 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kits.

This is the company's third major US Air Force contract within a year for conventional JDAM kits. Deliveries will begin in June 2013 and continue through May 2014.

Last year, Boeing received an $88 million contract for nearly 3,500 kits in January and a $92 million contract for an additional 4,000 kits in March.

Boeing completed the development and testing cycle for its Laser JDAM less than 17 months after it was identified as an urgent operational need in early 2007.

The company delivered the first production laser sensor kits to the US Air Force in May 2008 and to the US Navy in October 2008. Laser JDAM was successfully employed by the Air Force in combat in Iraq in August 2008.

In February 2010, the Navy selected Laser JDAM to satisfy its direct-attack moving target capability (DAMTC) mission requirement.

JDAM is a low-cost guidance kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into near precision-guided weapons. Boeing has built more than 230,000 JDAM tail kits in for use by 26 international militaries.